May We Look Ever Forward
by Cymberline
Summary: Al Potter's 7th year at Hogwarts was going to give him much more trouble than he ever bargined for. With dark and troubled times ahead, old threats looming and NEWTS on the horizon, things are really not looking up.
1. Chapter 1

For Albus Potter, life at Hogwarts was always overshadowed not only by his father's reputation, but by his brothers too. In his 7th year, with James gone, it is finally Al's time to shine. Lost in a world of NEWTS, romance and the old prejudices and problems of the Hogwarts student body, Al is finally beginning to understand what it means to be a Potter.

Hey guys! I am the artist formally known as ANGEL-OF-DEATH6. I started using this website when I was 12, and that was the nickname I chose. But I'm 19 now, and I felt after 7 years it was time for a change haha.

I have been listening to a lot of Wizard Rock and I just re-read book 5, and I don't know, this story has come from nowhere. I've been feeling creative lately anyhow. I have no idea where this story is going. It is, currently, going to be a break from the original piece I'm writing. Which needs a lot more background work and such before I can truly begin. Anywho.

I am probably extremely rusty; I haven't written anything in ages. I apologise if this sucks

I have, for quite some time, been pondering the lives of our sweet Next Gen kids. What became of them? Who became of them? Hence, I figured my only opinion was to answer my own questions.

So here goes.

Warning: I have a penchant for fluff. There isn't any in this chapter… I don't think. Wait, maybe a little. But if not, it'll come up in the future at some point, I promise.

I obviously don't own Harry Potter. I am not a literary genius. Well, not just yet anyway.

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May We Look Ever Forward

Part One: Magic is Might

Chapter One

Albus Potter crossed the barrier at platform 9 ¾ to board the train to Hogwarts for what would be the very last time. He was almost overwhelmed by the bittersweet duality of the moment; soon, he would be finished with school, ready to begin whatever journey the rest of his life held for him and the prospect of this was exciting- but also slightly nauseating, as he had no idea what he wanted to do when he finished school. Then, there was the fact he truly loved Hogwarts and its hallowed halls and all the memories that it held for him. He sighed, louder than he had intended, and he felt someone place their hand on his shoulder.

His father smiled at him, and said, "One last trip, hey Al?"

He gave a half smile in reply, "It seems that way."

"Will you miss it?" Asked Lily, holding a large ginger cat in her arms, which took a swipe at Al's owl, causing it to hoot crossly in reply

"Probably," he acknowledged, smiling at his family

"C'mon guys," His mother urged, "Get your stuff and hop on the train, or you'll miss it."

Albus and Lily embraced their parents quickly, "Be good!" Said Ginny, kissing them both on the cheek, "And write every so often, the house is so quiet when you're gone."

"Good luck with NEWTS Al," Said Harry, hugging his son, "Get the work in, mate. But don't let Rose push you into studying too much."

Al laughed and said, "Don't worry, I wont."

Al and Lily boarded the train, waving at their parents as the red steam-engine pulled out of the station. Dragging their trunks, the siblings moved through the hallway of the train, looking for their friends.

"Where is everyone?" Al wondered aloud

"I dunno where your friends are, but mine are right there," Replied Lily, who had been hailed by some fellow 5th years, "I'll see you at the Feast," She said brightly, waving to her brother and entering the carriage.

Albus frowned at her, and then shrugged it off, returning to the search for his own friends. He hated not finding them before he boarded the train, it always seemed like such a hassle having to haul his trunk around, looking into every carriage window. He walked a ways further down the carriage before a familiar voice called out;

"Oi, Potter!"

He spun around and came face to face with Scorpius Malfoy. He smiled, "There you are mate, I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Hasn't everyone?" He replied, grinning, "I'm getting to be so popular these days."

Al laughed, "Sure you have, Scorp."

"I have!" He said, almost indignant, "Grace said the exact same thing to me before when she found me,"

Grace's voice floated out from inside the carriage, "Scorp, deflate your head and sit back down so Al can join us,"

"Cheers, Gracie," Said Scorp, all sarcasm

"Can you not call me Gracie?" She snapped. Al and Scorp smirked at one another.

Grace was sitting with her knees tucked under her, a book in her hands. She pushed her fringe from her eyes and frowned at Scorpius. Al put his trunk and his owl away, and took the seat next to Grace. She smiled at him, saying, "I missed you, Al"

He smiled back, pushing his glasses up his nose, "I missed you too,"

"Aww." Said Scorp, sitting cross from them, grinning, "I could vomit,"

Al gave him a rude hand gesture in reply, and Grace said, "Oh shut up, you idiot. I missed you as well,"

He didn't reply, but seemed pleased nonetheless.

"How were your travels through Italy, by the way?" Al asked

She smiled, putting her book down completely, "Excellent. Even the Muggle places seem magic over there. It's the most amazing place in the world, full of history and culture. My mother's relatives were nice, I guess. Completely insane, mind you. Just, totally off their rockers. They took us around the place a bit. You should've seen the magic school they have over there. We went for a day trip, to visit my cousin who goes there."

"Oh yeah, that's the same school your mum went to, isn't it?" Asked Scorp. Grace nodded in reply

"What's it called again?"

"Magicata, Scuola per le Strege."

"What?" the boys asked together

"Magicata, School for Witches. It's an all girl's school."

Scorp snorted, "Lovely name they've got."

"What's it like?" Asked Al

"The school itself older than Hogwarts, and the grounds are amazing. They've got these green, rolling meadows and these others filled with all these different wild flowers. Madam 

Pince would have had an aneurism over the library. They have a brilliant Quidditch pitch; you guys would've been impressed. And, I saw their teams training, they're not half bad. The architecture is remarkable too; I've never seen anything like that place. It almost puts Hogwarts to shame." She replied, real awe in her voice

"Who cares about their meadows?" Said Scorp dismissively, "Their buildings don't make them better witches. And a good pitch doesn't make you a better Quidditch player, that's for sure!"

Grace let out a sigh, "Malfoy, you're a philistine."

"I am not!"

"You are too,"

Al smiled at his two best friends bickering, and then suddenly realised, "Where's Rose?!" he asked, interrupting their petty squabble.

"Giving her best Head Girl speech at the Prefects meeting, I'd say." Replied Grace, first glaring at Scorpius and then picking up her book

"I can't believe they made her Head Girl. Why would they do that to us?! She's going to be revolting this year," Groaned Scorp, ignoring Grace completely "We'll never get away with anything ever again. I'll bet you she won't even let us copy her homework,"

Al smiled, "Maybe you should start actually doing the homework mate, since NEWTS are coming up and everything,"

Scorpius shrugged in reply, "I'll get by the way I always have, I guess,"

"Scorpius Malfoy, you are the laziest git I have ever met," Said Grace lightly, smirking at him over her book

He smirked back, "Cheers, Gracie. Cheers."

--

I have quite a bit more to come, my dears!

Read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

Greetings, Earthlings. This chapter is signficantly better than the last one

and it gets better and better with every chapter, i promise.

cheers to the people who reviewed :)

--

May We Look Ever Forward

Part One: Magic is Might

Chapter Two.

Albus always found it fascinating that his father and Scorpius' father had been enemies at school. He remembered his first summer home from Hogwarts, when he had asked his mother if his two best friends that he had written home about over the school year could come and visit. His mother had said delicately in reply, "I think you should ask your father." And sure, his dad had almost instantly said yes, but it had still intrigued him as to how his mother had reacted to it. Slowly the story had unravelled for him. Most of the gory details were left out, of course, but Albus was given the gist of it. It was years later that Scorpius had told him that his father had been a Death Eater and that Harry had saved his life in the Battle of Hogwarts. Scorpius didn't have it easy at home. He was the first Malfoy in 4 generations to not be Sorted into Slytherin. And, not only had he not gone into Slytherin, he'd gone into Gryffindor. Most of the Malfoy relatives had excommunicated him and his parents, but he didn't care. He had told Al and Grace repeatedly that they were his real family, and that he didn't want to be associated with a bunch of 'slimy, no-good ex-Death Eaters anyway'.

No one knew Grace's parents from school, so there weren't any problems between Al's family and hers. Her parents; her father French and her mother Italian, had emigrated from France to England at the end of the Second War. They both worked in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry, and no one was really sure what they did. Al had a sneaking suspicion that Grace knew all about it though. Albus watched her, hunched over the book, a small crease between her eyebrows. She pushed her fringe from her face, let out a small sigh, and turned the page. It was in the middle of their 5th year that Albus had realised that Grace Bellevue wasn't just his friend, but also a girl. And once he realised that, it became almost impossible to forget it. It happened late one night, when they were curled up next to the fire in the common room. Albus had told some joke; he couldn't remember it now, but it had been something crude. And they laughed and laughed at it for so long, and then they just looked at each other, and they didn't have to say anything. The look was enough. He'd regretted not kissing her that night for almost two years. Neither of them had even mentioned that night, or that moment, since. Al didn't know if Grace ever thought about it, but he thought about it all the time. He'd started noticing things about her after that; like how her eyes were that unusual grey colour, the pale colour of her skin, her soft mouth, how dark the loose waves of her hair were, her small nose, the high cheekbones. He liked the way she never gave a damn what people thought of her, and how she would chew the end of her quill through every class. He liked how her fingers were thin and knobbly and long and how her nails (which were always bitten to the quick) were always painted gold or red. He liked how she was constantly reading, but nothing that would ever be of any use in class. He liked that she never had to ask him stupid questions; she just understood. He just liked _her_. Simply her, because of everything she was. But it didn't matter; she was his friend. Just his friend and that was all. That was all she saw him as.

"Grace, are you reading _Wuthering Heights_ again?" Said Al, clearly amused

"Maybe." She replied

"That has got to be the millionth time."

"You exaggerate," She said slowly, absorbed in the novel, "It's only the 15th, at most."

Al shook his head, "I don't understand what you see in that book anyway. Heathcliff and Cathy are the most awful people; and Edgar and Isabella Linton are no better. Edgar's an idiot, and Isabella is just…well, actually, she's an idiot too. They deserve exactly what they get."

She stared at him, clearly amazed "Albus Potter. Have you read _Wuthering Heights_?!"

He shrugged, "Aunt Hermione had it on her bookshelf."

Grace continued stared at him, incredulous, "I have been hounding you to read it for like, 4 years! When did this happen!?"

"About a month ago?"

"And why did you not owl me?!" She said, joyfully "This is monumental! You read a romance novel! Albeit, the kind of romance novel that almost makes you want to give up on love, but a romance novel nonetheless! I'm very proud of you!"

Al shoved her lightly, "Oh, shut up!"

She shoved him back, grinning widely "Make me!"

"Shut up, both of you," Said Scorpius mildly, waving his wand and setting up a chessboard, "Someone come and play chess with me. Gracie?"

"I'm reading," Said Grace, her nose buried back into her book

"Al," said Scorp, grinning at him, "Game on, mate."

So, it was Al who had the honour of being beaten by Scorpius, who had taken to Wizard's Chess when he had come to stay at the Potter's one Christmas about 5 years ago. Al's Uncle Ron had been playing with his son Hugo, and Scorp told him that his father had never allowed him to touch their set, as it was a family heirloom. Ron, being appalled at this considerable gap in the boy's magical education (And muttering darkly under his breath about 'that git Malfoy'), took it upon himself to teach him how to play, and he had been an avid player since. Ron and Scorpius made a point of sitting down every Christmas for their annual game. Ron had won every match so far, but Scorpius refused to give up. Though Albus had never told anyone, he had overheard his father and his uncle speaking one night about Scorpius. Ron had turned to Harry and said, "You know what? For a Malfoy, he's an okay bloke."

It was during their third round of chess that Rose and Hugo appeared. Various forms of 'hello's' rang out around the carriage.

"How was the meeting?" Asked Grace

"Alright," She replied, shrugging, "I have to go and patrol the carriage soon."

"Who's Head Boy?"

"Dennis Longbottom,"

Grace clicked her tongue, "Well, I guess he was a shoe-in, seeing as his dad is Head of House and whatnot,"

"Oh, be fair Grace," She said, smiling slightly, "Dennis will make a good Head Boy. He's easy to work with, at the very least"

Grace shrugged, "If you say so, Rosie."

Hugo was watching Al and Scorp's game of chess avidly until Grace called him from it, "How was your summer Hugo?"

He looked up, and shrugged, "The same as usual, I guess. It was weird, not seeing you hanging around at the Potters though,"

She grinned, "Yeah, my parents finally demanded my presence."

Rose was looking out the carriage window. Abruptly, she got to her feet, worry on her face. "Rose, what…" Asked Grace, perplexed

She opened the carriage door and yelled, "Goyle, you get AWAY from Lorcan, do you hear me? I will issue you a detention so fast it will make your head spin!"

He pushed the smaller boy face down to the floor, a foot on his back, his wand aiming at him,

"Oooh, I'm scared," He jeered at her, laughing, "What're you going to do about it?"

"I will report you-"

"Ooooh, harsh!" He cut her off, sarcastic, "I'll be reported! Now I'm really scared,"

Al, Scorpius, Grace and Hugo were all on their feet, backing Rose, gripping their wands angrily

"She'll report you," Said Hugo calmly, "But I will quite happily jinx your face off,"

"It's 5 against 1, Goyle. How do you like those odds?" Said Al quietly, "Because they're looking good to me,"

Rose stepped out of the carriage, her wand drawn now too, "Get away from him," she hissed

Goyle looked at them with hatred, "Fine, you win this time." He pulled Lorcan roughly to his feet and shoved him forward to be caught by Grace, "But you won't always be around to save him,"

"Ah, get bent, loser" Said Grace, waving a hand dismissively at the boy as he walked away, "You okay, kiddo?" She asked Lorcan, straightening him and tucking her wand back in her pocket

"Yes. Thankyou, guys." He whispered, not looking at them, "I'll see you later." He muttered, running off.

"I'm going patrolling," Said Rose grimly, "The Slytherins have been ridiculous lately. Someone should keep them in line."

"Want me to come with?" Offered Grace, "I could get hip to that groove,"

Rose smiled, "Nah, its okay. I'll be fine,"

"You sure Rosie?" Said Scorp, frowning slightly, "We wouldn't want you getting hurt,"

There was a faint blush in her cheeks, "No that's okay Scorpius, I'm fine. Bye guys,"

--

end! updates coming soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Welllll

Welllll. Hi everyone.

Thanks to my two reviewers Hahaha.

This story is actually good, I promise. I have more written and yeaah. It's good okay!

Anyways! Onwards!

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May We Look Ever Forward

Part One: Magic is Might

Chapter Three

"Poor Lorcan," Said Grace, as they sat back down "We should keep an eye on him. Him and his friends are just the kind of kids people like Goyle target because they're quiet. And it doesn't help that his brother Lysander runs around telling stories about Crumple Horned Snorkacks and Nargles."

"My dad says their mum was like that at school; a complete nutter" Put in Hugo

"Their mum is still a nutter," said Al, "Nice. But a nutter."

Scorp shrugged, "What can we do?"

Grace sighed, "Not much. But seriously though, something is going down with the Slytherins. I mean, they're nasty pieces of work at the best of times, but this is getting to be more than that. "

Al nodded his agreement, "That battle at the end of last year was insane. What the hell even triggered it? I'm surprised they haven't all been expelled, I saw the majority of them floating around before"

Hugo ran a hand through his curly brown hair, "Maybe we should have said something more about it to our dads Al. It looks... it looks bad. It looks like how the other Wars began."

Al frowned. He did not want to involve his famous father in his school problems. Being the son of the Boy Who Lived was difficult enough as it was, he didn't need people telling him that he couldn't fight his own battles.

"And what would that have done?" Said Grace, impatient as always, "Worried your parents, brought up old and painful memories, yadda, yadda, yadda. Nah man, bad idea. There's nothing they can do for us that hasn't already been done. They saw what happened; they both came down with the Aurors and the ministry people. The majority of those involved escaped before the teachers could catch them, and those that were caught have been expelled. There's nothing else that can be done. It's horrible, but it's not the beginning of a third war."

"It might be, Grace. That's how Death Eaters start out, you know" Said Scorpius quietly, "They begin life as school bullies, and eventually the playground gets too small for them, and they need more room to stretch their legs. It just takes one weak person who believes their ideas and falls in line with them to start an army."

No one spoke, until Grace gently said, "No one's saying anything about Death Eaters Scorp. The world isn't made up of good people and Death Eaters."

"I know." He replied, but it was said without conviction.

Rose arrived back from patrolling as the others were changing into their Hogwarts robes. The sun was setting as they pulled into Hogsmeade Station. Grace, Al, Scorp, Rose and Hugo clambered into a carriage, waving at Hagrid, who stood amongst the students, looking as vast as ever. They were mostly silent during the trip, all considering the discussion concerning the Slytherins. It left a sour taste in Al's mouth as he remembered the events of the Leaving Feast last year.

_An explosion had rung out from outside the Great Hall as the last students were making their way in. And then the screaming had begun. The staff were on their feet, along with many of the students. A group of ten people, dressed in black hooded cloaks, were firing spells around the hall. His cousin Louis had thrown Grace down under the table, attempting to protect her. _She's his girlfriend,_ Al had thought, _He's perfectly entitled to be protecting her. _But something about it had bothered him. She was _his_ Grace, not Louis'. No matter what delusions Louis was harbouring under. Grace crawled out from under the table, and appeared between Al and Scorp,_

"_Let's get these clowns," she said, something fierce in her face_

_People were screaming, things were exploding. Half the teachers were escorting and protecting the students who didn't want to fight out of the great hall, while the other half were aiming to stun and not kill the attackers, something the hooded figures had no thought for. They had captured six people, and were hanging them upside down in the air. _

_Scorp drew his wand and hissed, "No way. Not again. Not ever, ever again." He ran forward with a war cry, and Grace shot off after him and Al after her. _

"_Impedimenta!" Grace cried a jet of light streaming from her wand and slamming into the chest of an unsuspecting hooded figure. He fell backwards; his hood fell away, revealing the face of a 7__th__ year Slytherin. Some of the other Slytherins had joined the fray, aiming curses at Al, Scorp and Grace. A jet of green light whizzed past Al's head, the breeze lifting his hair. A 4__th__ year Slytherin was thrown backwards, and he saw Rose standing on Gryffindor table with her wand out, her face alight with fury,_

"_Get the captives down!" She cried, "Don't let the Slytherins outnumber us! Louis, James, what're you doing? Go help out Fred, he's fighting by himself! Liam, form a line with Lily and Hugo! 5__th__ years, help them! Remember, save the captives, and don't let the Slytherins escape!"_

_Dennis Longbottom was fighting three of the hooded figures at once, "Reducto!" he cried, his spelling hitting the left-most of the attackers in the face. There was a scream, and a girl being held on the ceiling started to fall. James ran for her, and he caught her and they both tumbled to the ground_

"_Cover them, Grace!" Roared Rose_

"_On it!" She called back, leaping in front of them, "James, get that girl out of here!"_

"_What about Al and Lily?!" He said, "And what about you?! Louis'll kill me if I leave you,"_

"_Never mind Louis!" She said impatiently, blocking an incoming spell, "Get going!"_

_With every passing second, the Slytherins were outnumbering those in battle, people were hurt and retreating. The captives were eventually abandoned by the attackers, and not all of them were caught before they hit the ground. The teachers were fighting too, but there weren't enough of them to truly help out. Albus heard Professor McGonagall say to herself at one point, "How I wish Dumbledore was here."_

_The voice of the headmistress rang out over the din, "All students are to retreat! Ministry officials are on the way! Students are to retreat!"_

_But Al couldn't make himself do it. He continued duelling with a hooded figure, firing and dodging endless spells. He was tired; his right arm ached where some spell had cut it open. He couldn't see what had happened to Grace or his siblings or Scorp, and Rose had stopped giving directions long ago to join the fight. From nowhere, the hooded figure was hit with a jet of red light, and crumpled to the floor. James had come out of nowhere, "Let's fly, little bro!" He called, pulling him by the arm_

"_Where is everyone?" Al yelled, running with his brother, "What happened to that girl?"_

_Before James could answer, a jet of orange light tore at him, leaving him crumpled on the ground, "JAMES!" yelled Al, dropping to his brother, "GET UP JAMES! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!"_

_Louis Weasley ran past them dragging Grace along, who was fighting to get away from him "Run, Al!" he called,_

"_I WONT LEAVE JAMES!" Al roared, drawing his wand and turning to face his adversaries_

_Louis was impatient, "The ministry is coming! Run! He'll be fine!"_

_Grace kicked Louis in the shins. He yelped and let her go, "If Al stays, I stay!" She yelled, standing shoulder to shoulder with Albus. Al's heart swelled and he smiled at her._

"_You idiots!" He yelled at them, "Fine! Stay then, for all the good it'll do you!"_

_Grace sighed, her wand raised, "If we die, at least we die together, right?"_

"_Right." Al managed to choke out, "but no one is dying here."_

"_Least of all either of you!" Yelled Scorpius, leaping over the remains of the Hufflepuff table, and hitting one of the attackers with a well-aimed bat-bogey hex, "Especially now that I'm here to save you."_

_They formed a semi-circle around James' crumpled body, "Where the bloody hell have you been Malfoy!?" Grace yelled, "I've been worried sick,"_

"_I've been protecting your boyfriend's pretty face!" He called back, laughing, "Just made sure there was something left for you to kiss when this was all said and done,"_

"_Let's just get this all said and done first before we worry about what she'll be kissing!" Said Al, his wand a blur of speed, "Where is Rose?"_

"_Protecting some first-years they had cornered!" Said Scorp, "She waved me on to you guys, the idiot. Shot a hex at me when I tried to help."_

_Grace laughed, "That's our Rosie." She cast a shield charm just in time to stop a hex. She aimed her wand at the remains of the Hufflepuff table, and threw it at the attacks. Before they could raise their wands, she yelled, "DURO!" And the table turned to stone, hitting a few of the attackers with immense force. _

"_Nice shot!" The boys said together._

_Suddenly, out of nowhere, ministry officials and Aurors dressed in red and gold cloaks joined the fray, scattering the attackers. One of the hooded figures stood tall on a table, his face unmasked. His features were blurred in Al's memory, impossible to define or recreate, and he called out a spell and there was a flash of blinding light. Everyone screamed, trying to hide their eyes, but nothing helped, the light penetrated whatever covers were used._


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys

Hey guys. Cheers for the reviews and stuff, its much appreciated! It's a shame they're all anonymous though so I can't email you all back individually and stuff. But I can say thanks in here and hope you all read it, coz i appriciate it :)

This is the last chapter of Part One and soon Part Two begins!

--

May We Look Ever Forward

Part One: Magic is Might

Chapter 4

Al felt someone tug on his sleeve. He turned to look at Grace, and she looked at him with worried eyes. "I'm okay." He said, "Just thinking about the battle at the end of last year."

She sighed, "I was too. I wonder who he was, that man who blinded us all. I didn't recognise him."

"No one did. It was that spell he used," Said Scorp, "My Dad told me it was one of the Dark Lord's favourites for escaping. No one's seen it used in years, not since the First War."

No one responded to this, and they sat in silence as they neared the castle. The walk up the Great Hall was quiet too, and they entered the Hall and took their seats at Gryffindor table for their last Welcoming Feast.

"I can't believe they fixed this place up in time for the start of school," Grace heard someone comment

Dennis Longbottom replied, "Yeah, they had alot of ministry people down here to fix it. Most of the teachers stayed here over the holidays to help too. My father and I spent most of the summer helping out. Oh, hey guys!" He said, waving at them.

Grace smiled at him, "Hey Denny, how're you?"

He shrugged, "Doing okay I guess,"

"Good to hear."

Professor McGonagall carried a stool out into the middle of the hall, and placed on top of it a decrepit wizard's hat. The first years stood anxiously in line for it, and the rest of the school looked at it with anticipation.

_The night is young, but I am old_

_I have seen a lot in my time_

_Sorting new students at Hogwarts_

_Is a pleasure of mine  
_

_Some of you will be Gryffindors_

_Brave of deed and strong of heart_

_If you find you're feeling noble_

_This is where your journey starts_

_  
Or perhaps you're a Hufflepuff_

_A place for those who are kind_

_Loyal and peaceful chaps_

_With others problems on their minds_

_  
Or maybe you belong in Ravenclaw_

_If you're a spark that's bright_

_Books, wit and learning_

_Will always be your might_

_  
Then there is old Slytherin_

_A house steeped in tradition_

_Full of clever, cunning folk_

_Who work hard for their ambitions_

_  
So my young ones, I might be old_

_But I have a job to do_

_Just place me snug around your ears_

_And you'll be Sorted too!_

The Hall rang with applause and cheering. McGonagall unrolled a long piece of parchment and called, "Avery, Jonas". A small, dark haired boy strutted forward to the Sorting Hat. It was barely on his head for a second when it yelled out, "SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table cheers. "Wicked," Muttered Grace, "New recruits."

"You'd think," Said Scorp, "That they would just automatically expel everyone Sorted into Slytherin wouldn't you? It would make our lives easier."

Rose shook her head, "But it wouldn't be fair, would it? They're not automatically evil just because they're in Slytherin."

Grace and Scorp snorted, and Al looked at them, "You know, the Sorting Hat tried to put my Dad in Slytherin. But Dad chose Gryffindor instead. And, well, last time I checked, he's not evil."

They all stared at him. He felt a squirm of guilt, having shared that with his friends.

"Wow, Al." Said Rose, "I had no idea."

"No one does, except me. Well, and you guys now."

"We won't say a word about it to anyone," Promised Grace

Scorp chuckled, "Don't be embarrassed Al, my dad was actually in Slytherin,"

They all chuckled, "I'm not embarrassed he was almost placed there. I just feel bad for sharing that with you guys. I think it's a secret for him."

"Delias, George," was Sorted into Gryffindor. Everyone clapped, the people sitting closest to him patting him on the back. Grace smiled warmly at him and he blushed and looked down.

"We cannot have been that small in first year," Said Scorp

Al laughed, "They're such midgets,"

Grace rolled eyes, "Of course they are. They're like, 11."

"But we weren't that small, I swear to God," Said Scorp

Rose and Grace looked at each other in perfect understanding. The boys were idiots. As "Zabini, Richard" went to Slytherin, McGonagall rolled up the parchment and took her seat in the middle of the staff table. Everyone looked at her expectantly for a second. She gave her students the slightest of smiles and said, "Begin!" Food appeared on the table; roasts, kippers, potatoes, greens, Shepard's pie- almost anything you could think of was there (even some mint humbugs). The hall was alive with noise and laughter and the clanging of knives and forks on plates.

Scorpius and Al stuffed their faces with almost indecent enthusiasm. Grace was putting potatoes on her plate when a pair of arms snaked around her shoulders,

"Hello little Potter, what's going on?" She said, smiling at Lily

"I missed you!" Said Lily, "I was stuck all summer with my stupid brothers, and then Malfoy came visited for two weeks! Thank God for Hugo and Rose coming to visit too or I would have gone insane."

Grace laughed, "I'll admit, I was worried about you killing one, or both, of them."

She shook her head in exasperation, "James was terrible. Every time I got an owl, he would come in and demand to know whether or not it was from a boy."

Grace laughed even harder, "Oh, are you serious!? Your brother is ridiculous,"

"I know. And Al just moped about the place because you weren't around. He was fine once Scorp showed up though,"

"I did not mope around!" Albus snapped at his sister

"Oh, you did so," She snapped back

Lily squeezed into the seat between Grace and Rose, "Hey Rosie," She said, "How did the Head Girl speech go?"

Rose smiled, "It was alright,"

"I'm glad you got it," Said Grace, "There would be no one else better for it,"

Rose flushed pink and Lily nodded her agreement, "Thanks, guys."

"Hey Potter," Said Scorp, "Where were you on the train today?"

"With my friends," She replied coolly

"Oh, I see how it is. We're not cool enough for you,"

"Well, you're certainly not Malfoy."

He laughed, "I'm offended,"

"Oh, give it a rest, you two," Said Hugo, with obvious strain, "Every time I see you, you're at each others throats."

Lily shot her cousin a dirty look and Scorpius just smirked, happily continuing on with his dinner.

At the end of the Feast, Professor McGonagall got to her feet, and the hall fell silent instantly,

"To our new students; a warm welcome. To our old students; a warm welcome back. I would like to inform the student body that Professor Dawlish has taken a leave of absence for his health," There was a smartening of cheers. Dawlish was the most unpopular, and thoroughly the most useless DADA teacher the school had seen since the days of the horrible Dolores Umbridge, "And in lieu of this, I would like to introduce our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Teddy Lupin."

There was a polite round of applause from most of the school, but the Gryffindor table, filled with Teddy's family, whooped and applauded loudly. He smiled and waved at them.

"I had no idea Teddy was coming to teach DADA!" Said Grace joyfully, waving back

"Neither!" Said Al, grinning from ear to ear "I can't believe Dad didn't tell me!"

"Brave man, your god-brother." Said Scorp, grinning, "I heard there's a curse on that post."

"That's just superstition, Scorpius" Said Rose

"Is not!" he retorted, "When our parents were at school, they had a new DADA teacher every single year."

"Yes, but that was before the Second Fall, wasn't it?" Said Grace, "I've always heard Voldemort cursed the post."

"Well, either way," Said Scorp, "He'd better favour us in class."

McGonagall cleared her throat, "That's quite enough, thank you," She looked directly at Al and Scorp; "Mr Filch would like me to remind you that there is no magic to be used in the hallway between classes. Also, if you care to look, Mr Filch has a list in his office of all the times banned here at Hogwarts. For our new students, the Forbidden Forrest is off-limits. Some of our older students would do to remember this as well," The look on her face as she said this was one that Al couldn't really understand. He thought back to her during the Battle at the end of last term, and her wish for Dumbledore to still be around, and thought he saw the ghost of the same emotion in her face now. But then again, he couldn't be sure.

"Now, it is off to bed with you. To the first years; please follow your Prefects, they will show you the way to your common room. Sleep tight and good luck with your classes tomorrow." Talking broke out again as everyone stood up and walked out of the Great Hall, talking and laughing. Climbing through the portrait of the Fat Lady, the Gryffindors wandered up to their dormitories

"Night, Grace, Rose." Said Al, waving at them from the boy's staircase

"Sleep tight," Said Scorp, "Dream sweet! Don't let the bed begs bite!"

"You are such a git, Malfoy," Said Grace, sounding tired, "Goodnight, Al."

Al curled up in his four poster bed, his covers around his ears. He heard Scorp say something to one of the other boys in his dorm, but he didn't care. He wasn't listening. He drifted off into sleep, full of food and good thoughts. He woke up the next morning, refreshed and genuinely looking forward to the first day of classes. He thought maybe him and Teddy could go down and see Hagrid for a cup of tea that afternoon too. He walked down to the common room, and found Scorp and Grace waiting for him

"Took your time!" Said Scorp, grinning at him

The three walked down to breakfast together, chatting animatedly, "Let's hope we start the day with DADA," Said Grace, "I haven't seen Teddy in so long!"

"Actually, the last time I saw him was at his wedding I think," Said Scorp

Grace thought about this, "Same, actually."

Al smiled, "I haven't seen him in a while either. He's been coming around for dinner a lot less since he got married,"

"Maybe it's that Victorie can cook?" Suggested Grace, smirking

Al smirked back, "Yes, that was my dad's opinion too."

A crowd was blocking the door to the Great Hall, talking and chattering loudly.

"What's this about?" Grace asked a Ravenclaw girl standing at the edge of the crowd. She pointed silently to the space above the doors that lead into the Great Hall. Al felt the pit of his stomach drop, and he heard Scorp issue a few well-chosen curse words. Engraved into the bricks in large, shaky letters were the words, "MAGIC IS MIGHT!"

--

I apologise if my Sorting Hat song is terrible haha. But it was the best I could do.


	5. Part Two, Chapter One

Thank you so, so much reviewers. You are lovely, lovely, lovely people :). I appreciate it lots!

--

May We Look Ever Forward

Part Two: Your Arms Around Me

Chapter One

The sign above the Great Hall doorway was the talk of the school for two weeks, and almost everyone was speculating about the culprits. The teachers interrogated student after student, but could find out nothing. It was late at night in the common room, and Grace, Albus, Scorp and Rose had spread their homework over a table. Scorp had given up completely on his essay, and was staring moodily out the common room window.

"What do you guys reckon?" He asked for the millionth time that week. No one needed to ask what he meant, knowing he was about to go on about the carvings, just as everyone else was doing,

Grace sighed, "Scorp, we've already told you, all of us, we have no idea."

"Which of the Slytherins do you reckon it was? I'll bet it was Goyle,"

"Nah, it can't be him," Put in Al

"Well, why not?"

"Because he can't spell, can he?" They all laughed at that.

"Hey, Grace," Dennis Longbottom was standing behind them

"Uh, hey Denny," Said Grace, clearly confused, as they rarely spoke to one another outside classes.

"Could I have a word?" He asked.

"S-sure." She said. She exchanged perplexed looks with her friends

They stepped outside the portrait. Denny ruffled his hair, and took a deep breathe. _Oh God,_ thought Grace, _'This cannot be going where I think its going, can it?'_

"Um, so there's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up soon,"

'_It IS going where I think its going!'_ She started to silently panic. "Yeah, I noticed,"

"I was wondering, if you're not already going with someone, though you probably are, but if you're not, I was wondering if you'd like to go with me." He said this all very fast, and without looking at her properly. Grace weighed up the options. Dennis Longbottom, of all people, was asking her out. He was a lovely guy- Head Boy, Gryffindor, brave, nice to everyone. She couldn't think of a reason to say no, either than the fact that he wasn't the boy she wanted to be going to Hogsmeade with next weekend. _'Why can't this be Al asking me?'_ She thought bitterly. But Al was never going to ask her, the prat. And Dennis was nice, and he certainly wasn't unattractive, and maybe if she gave him a chance…

"Well, no one's asked me. Sure I'd like to go with you. That'd be great" She smiled at him and he breathed a sigh of relief,

"Really? Well, great. That's, that's really good,"

She laughed, "Okay, well, I have that nasty herbology essay your dad set me to finish, so I should go do that."

He grinned and said, "I'll tell him to ease up on that stuff,"

She grinned back, "That would be much appreciated."

"So, I should go finish patrolling the corridors. I'll see you around?"

She smiled, "Yeah, see ya."

She walked back through the portrait ("He's a lovely boy, Dennis Longbottom. Not half as forgetful as his father before him!" Said the Fat Lady) and sat back down at the table, the slightest of smiles on her face.

"What was that about?" Demanded Scorp

"None of your business," She replied coolly

Al looked up at her, "What'd he say, Gracie?" She met his eyes and her stomach flip-flopped

"Nothing," She said, "Buzz off, you guys."

She took a piece of parchment and scribbled on it to Rose, _Be discreet with your reaction as your read this. Dennis Longbottom just asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him and I said yes._

"Hey, Rose. Can you take a look at the last bit I wrote for this essay? I'm not sure if it's any good."

Rose took the parchment out of her hands. She read it, raised her eyebrow and said, "Pass me your quill, Grace. I want to add a few things to this last sentence that you've missed out."

She returned the parchment to Grace. _Dennis Longbottom!? What?! I was convinced that he was gay! He's never gone anywhere near a girl! Oh, except for that one time he went to the Christmas Social with Cathy Robal, but I just figured that was all for show! Wow, I can't believe it. Are you excited? Do you like him?_

Grace read it over, "Thanks, Rose. That helps. I think I'm going to go to bed though."

"Me too, actually." Said Rose, "Goodnight boys."

The girl raced upstairs, Al and Scorp watching them, "Mental," Said Scorp, "The pair of them,"

Al gave a noncommittal noise in reply, and went back to his essay. Whatever Dennis had said, it was enough to make the girls rush away to discuss it in private. And that could only mean one thing: Dennis Longbottom liked his Grace.

"So, do you like him?!" Said Rose, very seriously, as they hid in the bathroom from the other girls in their dorm

"Well, I dunno," Said Grace honestly, "I mean, he's nice and everything,"

"Yeah, and…" Said Rose

"I just, I don't know. I guess I'm a bit thrown by it all really. It's pretty unexpected."

Rose looked as if X-Raying her. Grace sometimes pitied Rose's children, because they would never be able to get away with anything without their mother knowing about it, "Are you not over Louis?" she asked her finally

Grace waved a dismissive hand, "No, I'm well over him."

Rose's face softened, "He was pretty upset when you guys broke up, you know."

"It wasn't easy on either of us. I wanted to be with him, I really did. But it just wasn't going to work, Rose. He fancied himself a lot more than he fancied me, and what kind of a relationship is that?"

Rose nodded, "I didn't say you were wrong in ending it, just that he was upset."

"Scorp tore him to pieces for leaving us there at the battle, remember?"

"Vividly." Said Rose, "I think his words were something like, 'useless, good-for-nothing pretty boy who doesn't deserve to be in Gryffindor' if I'm not mistaken."

Grace grinned, "Nope, those were it. I don't know what I was thinking, dating Louis in the first place. I know he's your cousin and all, but he's just so… different. We're such different people, and we want completely different things from life, and we wanted completely different things from that relationship. I sort of just, agreed to it."

"Sort of like you just agreed to Dennis?"

Grace nodded and Rose sighed, "Just give him a chance, Grace. Who knows how it'll go?"

But lying in bed that night, Grace thought she knew exactly how it was going to go. She and Denny would go to Hogsmeade, and it would fun. And she would have a good time, and he would be a gentleman. And at some point he would want to hold her hand, and she would let him because it would feel right. And she would be caught up in the moment, and it would seem like the right thing to do. And if he tried to kiss her, she would probably let him. And then she would come home, and then it would all be made official over the course of the next week and none of it would be what she wanted because the only thing she wanted was Albus Potter, who never so much as looked at her twice. He was her friend; her best friend, really. But she didn't think he'd realised that she was a girl yet. Or that he ever would realise that she was a girl. She remembered this night, mid-way through 5th year, when he had looked at her and the look in his eyes was just… indescribable. But he'd never looked at her like that again; he'd never so much as shown the tiniest bit of interest since then. Whatever that look in his eyes meant, it didn't mean what Grace wanted it to mean. Sighing in frustration, she rolled over, punching her pillow. She wished, as she always did when she lay awake thinking of Al, that she could go back to when she didn't like him, because it had been so easy back then. They just gelled so well together; understood every inch of one another. There were so many things she liked about Albus Potter. She liked how he'd finally let his ridiculously messy hair grow long past his collar, and how he was constantly pushing his glasses up his nose. She liked the face he made when he was trying to remember something. She liked the four or five random freckles on his nose; the only ones he'd inherited. She liked him best when it was just the two of them, and he was relaxed and loud and funny. Her favourite memory of him was one from their summer holidays after they'd finished their 2nd year. Scorp hadn't been allowed to come for the holidays, so it was just her and Al, and they had been playing in the forest near the Potters home in Godric's Hollow. Grace had gotten lost while they were playing, and she couldn't find Al anywhere. And she was crying loudly, because she was alone, scared and lost. And then, by some miracle, he had appeared out of nowhere, and held her until she had stopped crying. Then they'd walked home holding hands, and when they got there, Mrs Potter made them hot chocolate, and they had spent the whole night curled up in Al's bed and Al had told her stories about his parents in war the until she'd fallen asleep. And it had been perfect. Lost in the thoughts of that day, Grace fell into an uneasy sleep where her dreams were filled with Al and she woke up the next morning with wet cheeks and a heavy heart.

She and Al were sitting together at the back of DADA, taking notes before they began practising the latest spell. He whispered to her, "What did Dennis Longbottom want last night."

She pursed her lips, and then sighed. She couldn't lie to him, "He asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him. And I said yes."

"Oh." Said Al, and kept writing, keeping an eye on Teddy, though he didn't think he'd get into trouble from him "Do you fancy him?"

Graces insides squirmed, "I don't know."

"Then why are you going?" Whispered Al, putting down his quill and looking at her

She stopped writing too and stared at him, "I don't have to explain myself to you, Albus Potter!"

"Fine, then. Do what you like."

"I will!" She snapped back, "I will do exactly as I like!"

Rose and Scorpius turned around from the desk in front of them, questioning looks on their faces.

"What do you see in that guy!?"

"He's nice! He's just, genuinely, a nice guy. He's got a good head on his shoulders. He's very caring. He's brave, and he's kind."

"Well, I'm sure you thought Louis was all those things too, but then he left us for dead to save himself."

She growled in frustration, "What is your damage here, Al? Is really about Louis? If it is, then look. I'm sorry I broke up with your cousin and hurt him! But, like you said, he left us for dead! And I'm sorry now that I'm moving on! But if it's not about Louis, then tell me what the hell your problem is because really, this isn't any of your business!"

"This isn't about Louis!" He hissed at her, "You shouldn't have dated him in the first place! The fact that he's my cousin is irrelevant here; he's still one of the world's biggest gits. And how is this not my business?" Said Al, indignant, "You're one of my best friends, I care about you, and what you do!"

"Well, thankyou, but I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions and perfectly capable of taking care of myself,"

"Oh yes, of course! And I say again, Louis was an excellent decision!"

"I thought you said this wasn't about Louis, Al!"

"It isn't!" Al said, his voice rising, "But I guess he's part of it!"

"Then what the hell is this about, because you've got me pretty damn confused!" She said, throwing down her quill completely, very aware that many people in the class were staring at them, including Dennis and Teddy.

"Nothing," He muttered, realising everyone was watching them too "Don't even worry about it, hey."

"Fine." She said, her voice catching in her throat. "I won't then!"

"You guys right there?" Said Teddy, looking from one to the other, concerned

"Fine," Said Al too loudly, "We're great, Professor Lupin."

Teddy stared at Al for a minute, but recognised that he was in one of his moods, and just ignored him, thinking it was better to get on the with lesson than to attempt to try and pull Al Potter out of a mood swing.

--

More coming soon my pets!! R&R and above all, enjoy!


	6. Part Two, Chapter Two

Grace and Al did not speak for the rest of the lesson

Hi guys! Thanks for the love and the reviews and everything. I really appreciate it. I can't say that enough. Anyway, Part Two is almost done. I crave to write some parts of it haha. Anyways, read, review and enjoy!

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May We Look Ever Forward

Part Two: Your Arms Around Me

Chapter Two

Grace and Al did not speak for the rest of the lesson. When class ended, Grace raced out, ignoring Rose as she called her back. She went to the girls' bathroom, hid in a stall, and took great, gasping breaths until she calmed down. _"I will not cry. I will not cry"_ She told herself this over and over but it didn't help. The tears spilt onto her books, and her hands shook violently. She and Al had never fought, not once in 7 years. And it was such a stupid fight too. What did he care if she was going to Hogsmeade with Denny? Why would he possibly care?! And he just had to drag up all that crap about Louis. Didn't he know that she had long ago realised that dating Louis Weasley was the worst idea she'd ever had? He had been so nice to begin with; kind and sweet and funny. And then, slowly but surely, he had shown her that he was, deep down, a conceited, insufferable prat. And not to mention a coward. It had been a painful day when she had realised that whatever he felt for her, it couldn't have meant much to him. Regardless of her feelings for Al at the time, she had cared about Louis. Regardless of a lot of things, she had cared about Louis.

"Grace?" Said a voice tentatively, "Are you here?"

She jumped in surprise, and then called out "In here, Rose,"

Rose walked towards the stall, "What happened?" She asked

Grace shrugged, "Al had a go at me for agreeing to going to Hogsmeade with Denny."

"Why!?" She asked, perplexed

"Your guess is as good as mine," She said sulkily

"Come out of there, Gracie. Let's go get lunch."

Grace sniffed, "Do you think it's the wrong thing for me to do? Going to Hogsmeade, I mean,"

Rose sighed, "No, I don't. Don't let that git cousin of mine change anything for you."

Grace came out of the toilet, "Rose. I…It's just that…"

Rose stared at her, "it's just what."

Grace contemplated saying the words out loud that she had been hiding for two years, wondering what it would even sound like, "What if there was someone else?"

Rose continued to stare, "What do you mean?"

"Someone else that I fancied."

"Like who?!"

Grace sighed, and covered her face with her hands, "What if Al's the one I fancy?"

Rose didn't say anything for a few seconds, and then said, "…What?"

The girls stared at each other in silence, "For how long?" Rose asked finally

"Since 5th year,"

Rose whistled, "And you've been hiding it all this time,"

Grace nodded, defeated, "He doesn't feel the same way, I just know it."

"And how do you know that?"

"When has he ever acted like he does?" Her voice rising an octave, "When has ever shown the tiniest bit of interest!"

Rose stared at her like she was stupid, "Um…Today??"

Grace gave a dismissive snort, "Oh please. This is just that, 'over-protective male thing' that comes from his Weasley genes."

Rose looked at her, and then sighed, and said, "Alright, then. So you don't want to tell Al. But that doesn't help you with Denny. Are you still going to go to Hogsmeade with him?"

Grace washed her face, trying to cool herself down "Yes, I am."

Rose smirked at her, "That's the spirit."

"It still feels wrong, Rose. Wrong to do this to Dennis, I mean. I just… He's nice. He's great. He's the sort of boy i would want to bring home to meet my parents. But..."

"But?" Prompted Rose

"But he's not Al." Whispered Grace, "And he never will be."

Rose sighed, "Oh, Grace."

"I know, Rose. This is silly. I shouldn't go. It feels wrong."

"Well, did it feel wrong with Louis?"

Grace shook her head, "No, not really. A bit I mean, at the beginning. I felt guilty, because I felt like I wasn't, you know, being true to myself, or to Louis. But it took me a few weeks to realise that I really liked Louis, and that whatever I felt for Al was going to have to be put aside because he just didn't feel the same. And Louis did."

Rose looked at her, "And how much do you like him?"

Grace raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"How much do you like Al?"

"Too much, Rose. Far too much."

"You should talk to him about it, then."

"How can I?! If he doesn't feel the same, which I am sure he doesn't, our friendship will be totally ruined."

"You can't know how he feels until you've asked him," Rose said gently, "Al would never want to ruin your friendship, you mean the world to him. He doesn't know how to function properly without you. Lily was right; he moped around for the majority of the summer because you weren't there. He even read _Wuthering Heights_ for goodness sakes."

Grace sniffed, "It'll ruin everything," she looked at herself in the mirror, disgusted, "Look at me Rose. What kind of a Gryffindor am I, if I can't even go for what I want because I'm scared,"

Rose hugged her from behind, "There's nothing wrong with you, Grace. You're not a coward; you're just trying to get by whichever way you can,"

Grace sniffed again, "Thanks Rose. God, what a mess I am. Thank you for putting up with me,"

Rose laughed, "No problem. Now, can we get lunch? I'm starving."

Rose and Grace made their way to down to the Great Hall for lunch. They sat away from Al and Scorp, and Rose spent most of the lunch hour alternating between eating with gusto and glaring daggers at Al. Al stabbed moodily at his food until Scorp said

"What did we do now?"

"We?" Replied Al, "Not 'we'. Just me."

"Oh," Said Scorp, "I really thought Rose was trying out her Basilisk stare on me, too."

Al didn't say it out loud, but he really thought Scorp was a self-cantered git sometimes.

"So, what'd you do? From the look on Grace's face, you'd think you murdered her first-born."

Al growled and threw down his fork, exasperated, "Can you leave it alone already? Stop making jibes and quips and trying to be funny! It's not funny, and I don't want to talk about it!"

Scorp looked taken aback, "Alright mate, no need to bite my head off,"

"Sorry," Al muttered, "I didn't mean to, it just came out."

"Don't worry about it." Scorp said with dignity.

Rose and Grace avoided the boys for the rest of the day. He understood where Rose was coming from, trying to back up Grace on this, but it bothered him anyway. They were family, after all, and shouldn't blood be thicker than water? He mulled over that until he remembered how much he had hated Louis when he'd started dating Grace. Actually, he still hated Louis, and had since they were children. He had always been the biggest show off, the biggest bully and he went through that stage where he spoke with a French accent like Aunty Fleur's. He shuddered at his thoughts, and decided that sometimes blood wasn't really that thick. As Grace went up to bed that night, she bid goodnight to Rose and Scorp, and even patted Lily on the shoulder as she finished off an essay. But she ignored Albus, and nothing had ever made him feel worse in his whole life. He went to bed, his stomach churning. He didn't want to fight with Grace, but he didn't want to see her with Dennis Longbottom either. Not that he didn't like Denny, because he did, but it was just… He didn't want to watch that again. Watch Grace be happy with someone else- laugh with someone else, hug someone else, _kiss_ someone else. And of course he wanted her to happy; he just wanted her to be happy with him. It was such a selfish thought that it made him feel even worse. But it was the truth. He tossed and turned for hours before deciding it was useless, and that he was never going to sleep. He went to his trunk, and pulled out his father's invisibility cloak and the marauders map. James had passed the Map on to him over the summer, saying very seriously, "This map has helped 3 generations of Potters and 2 generations of Weasleys break the rules. Use it wisely." Thinking that a nice cup of tea and some biscuits would help, he threw the cloak over himself and headed out of the dormitory, his plan to get to the kitchens.

Grace was in her pyjamas, asleep on the couch by the dying common room fire. Obviously he hadn't been the only one who couldn't sleep. Grace seemed to have found some peace though. He considered waking her up and sending her to bed, but he couldn't bare to think of how she would look at him. And, if they had to talk, he didn't know what to say. Her book had fallen out of her hands and onto the floor. Al sighed and walked over to her. He picked the book up off the floor, took the bookmark out of her fingers as gently as he could and put it in its place. Then, closing the book, he put it on the end of the couch near her feet and covered her with a tartan blanket someone had left on the couch opposite hers. He took once last look at her, and walked towards the portrait hole, when he heard someone say in a clear voice,

"Albus."

Al froze, then turned, realising it had come from Grace. But she couldn't see him; he was wearing the invisibility cloak! "Albus," She said again, clearly. _She's sleep talking!_ He realised, _Sleep talking, about me!_ The emotion that filled him was beyond anything he could comprehend. He grinned widely, not sure what else to do. Should he stay and listen to see if she said anything else? Then she sighed in her sleep, and nuzzled into the couch, muttering, "Albus don't put stockings on the pumpkins," Al laughed loudly, and went and sat on the couch opposite hers, his thoughts of a tea completely gone. She wrapped the blanket around herself more closely and then said, "Shall we take a walk by the lake? I think that could be nice. There's a full moon tonight, that's very romantic." Al leaned closer to her, his heart beating too fast, trying to hear what else she might be muttering, but he couldn't make much sense of it. Suddenly, she began to snore quite loudly, and Al laughed again, having completely forgotten that she snored. He took off the invisibility cloak, and walked back up to his dormitory. She didn't hate him; she was dreaming about him. Tomorrow, he would apologise for his outburst about Longbottom, and they could be friends again. She _dreamt_ about him. Of all the people she could be dreaming about, she was dreaming about _him_. Not Longbottom, not Louis, not any other boy. She was dreaming about him, and that meant something. He wasn't sure what, but it meant something. Albus Severus Potter went to bed that evening, thinking that he was perhaps the happiest man alive.


	7. Part Two, Chapter Three

Hi guys! I'm meant to be writing a mid-term history essay about Japan, but you see, i just cannot be bothered. So i'm updating instead hahaha. Thanks for the reviews and stuff kids. Have a lovely day/evening whereever you are in the world.

FANGZ 2 MA GRRLS DANNII N FIA 4 BEING LYK TTLY GOFFICK HAR HAR.

Has anyone else read 'My Immortal" coz that shit is the funniest thing ever. I will never get over Dumbledore yelling 'motherfuckers' in Chapter 4. And how about Lupin 'masticating' over the chick in the shower? Aaaah, good times.

#

May We Look Ever Forward

Part Two: Your Arms Around Me

Chapter Three

He woke up the next morning to a lot of noise in his dormitory. Denny and Joe Anese were having a loud argument. Scorp was sitting up in bed, staring at them. Al look at him quizzically and Scorp shrugged, indicating for Al to just listen,  
"Look, mate. I'm Head Boy this year, and I'm telling you, you can't keep letting Lisa sleep in here. I know she's your girlfriend, but it's just uncomfortable for everyone else,"

"Where's the rule that says that, huh?" Said Joe, "I don't see one!"

Denny rolled his eyes, "Well, how's about we ask one of the teachers then? And see if they think there's a rule?"

Joe stormed out of the dorm, calling behind him, "Whatever, hey. You were a lot nicer Denny when you didn't have a stick shoved up your arse."

Scorp muttered, "Don't worry about him, Den. He's-" he then proceeded to miaow like a cat, then make a whipping noise. Dennis laughed heartily. Al shook his head at them, retrieved his glasses from the bed-side table and made towards the bathroom

"Um, Al? Could I've a word?"

Al was getting extremely sick of Dennis Longbottom asking to have a word with people, "Sure," he said through gritted teeth, "What about?"

"Just, I was just wondering… What's going on with you and Grace?"

Al stared at him, "_Excuse_ me??"

"Well, I just noticed you guys weren't talking, and I was worried. She looked pretty upset-"

"And what," Said Al, cutting him off, "Were you going to come and champion her cause or something?"

"No," Said Denny hastily, "I was just wanted to know what happened,"

"Well, it's none of your business, alright? It's between me and Grace and no one else, so just butt out, yeah?"

"Well, look. If she's upset, then I'm worried-"

Al cut him off again, "You're not her boyfriend!"

There was a steely silence until Denny muttered, "Well, neither are you."

Scorp was still sitting up in bed staring at them, and Al didn't give either of them a chance to speak before he walked into the bathroom and slammed the door. Al did not want to apologise to Grace about his outburst about Longbottom now. He wanted to hex Longbottom until he couldn't walk, talk or see and then confess his feeling to Grace. But since Longbottom was the Head Boy, he couldn't hex him, and since he didn't know if Grace felt the same, he couldn't tell her anything. It was the most frustrating thing. On his return to the dorm, he was relieved to find it empty. He dressed, and went down to breakfast with no desire to eat anything at all.

#

He sat down in the spot reserved for him by Scorpius, who now looked at him and said, "Well, I think you owe me and explanation,"

Al looked at him, and sighed, running a hand through his already messy hair, "Longbottom asked Grace to go with him to Hogsmeade, and she said yes. But she doesn't know if she fancies him, and I don't think she should go, because it's going to turn out like the Louis fiasco."

Scorp looked at him and said, "And this is just about protecting Grace, right? Not because you yourself fancy the pants off her and would like very much to punch Longbottom in his smarmy, plump face?"

"I don't fancy Grace!" Said Al automatically

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "Don't be a git, you've fancied her for ages,"

"Scorp, drop it mate."

"Not a chance, Albus, not a chance." He said grinning, "Now, tell your old buddy the truth." He waved his fork at Al, "Do you like our dear friend Grace Bellevue?"

Al stared at Scorp, and then slumped his shoulders, defeated, "Yeah alright, I like her."

Scorp snorted, "Knew it. Since 5th year, right?"

Al stared at him, "It was that obvious?"

"Only to me because I know you so well and because I know everything."

"You can't say anything to her!"

Scorp stared, "Why not? This might be your only chance to get in there,"

"'Get in there'?" Said Al, grinning now. It felt _good_ to finally talk to someone about this. He was starting to understand why girls gossiped

"You know what I mean!"

Al shook his head, "I don't know how she feels."

Scorp frowned in thought, "Well, let me think. She left Louis to come and protect you, if my memory serves me,"

"Yes, because we're friends. She'd have done the same for you,"

"Mmm. Maybe. But it was how she was looking at you, mate."

"What??" Al said, perplexed,

"Like you were the only thing in the world,"

Al stared at him, "You haven't, by chance, picked up a romance novel recently, have you?"

Scorpius grinned, "I'm a sensitive soul, though I seem thick skinned."

"You're joking, right?"

"Of course I'm joking, I wouldn't read that trash if they paid me!"

"No, not about your stupid fixation with romance novels. About Grace."

Scorp shrugged and said, "Well, let's look at it this way. I'm always right."  
"You are not always right."

"Okay, okay, 9 out of 10 times, I'm right." Scorp shovelled some bacon into his mouth, "What I'm more worried about now is how we're going to get rid of Longbottom."

"What?!"

"Oh, come off it. Let's do something to him. Put itching powder in his pyjamas the night before Hogsmeade. Or, or- we could blow up his head to double its normal size, then it would be in proportion with his ego."

Al laughed, "You have spent too much time hanging out with Fred and James. Grace would kill us if we did that. Rose would literally wipe the floor with our faces"

"Mmm. Only if they found out. And, I'll bet Joe will help us,"

Al shrugged, "I couldn't give a rats about Joe. Lisa always sleeping in our room is a pain,"

"She's such a babe though,"

Al snorted, "Oh please. She's as thick as two short planks."

"She's still a babe, though."

"Scorp, you have got to stop ogling girls who can't spell their own names."

"And you have to stop ogling Grace and do something about it!"

Al smacked him over the head, "Shut up."

"Seriously, though. We have to get rid of Longbottom." Said Scorp, "To be perfectly honest, I couldn't stand having him around more than we already do. We've got Rose watching our every move, which is more than enough; we don't need another watch-dog."

Al gave an exasperated sigh, "And what are we going to do? Tie him up and shove him into a trunk and ship off to somewhere in Africa?"

"You know, you might be your Uncles nephew after all!" Said Scorp, "That's not a half-bad idea,"

Al laughed, "As if we could pull that off without getting expelled,"

"Mmm. This is true. Well, mate. Your only option is going to be confessing your love."

Al put his face in his hands, and groaned "Why does this feel as if it's been a very long morning?"

"Probably because it has. And we have a lovely class to begin the day too; double Potions with the Slytherins,"

"Excellent," Groaned Al

#

They made their way down to the dungeons, and saw that Rose and Grace were already there. Al took a deep breathe, and walked towards them,

"Grace, can I maybe, um, talk to you?" He could hardly meet her eyes; his stomach churned. What if she said no?

Grace stared at him, her eyes scanning his face. "Okay," She said finally, and they walked a bit away from the group. She wouldn't look at him as they stood facing each other,  
"Look, Grace. I'm really sorry about yesterday."

"So you should be," he heard her mutter under her breath

"I said some really stupid things. And now I don't know what to say to fix them. Well, I probably can't fix them, but I can't stand not talking to you."

She looked up at him, her eyes overbright, "You what?"

"I can't stand not talking to you. I can't stand not having you around. It's like, I dunno," He shrugged, "Like all the good bits are missing,"

She gave a watery chuckle and said, "Very eloquent, Al."

He smirked at her, "It was the best I could do."

She smiled, "Yeah, I know. I can't stand not talking to you either, you know. And I probably overreacted to it a bit. Well, a lot."

"So are we good then?" He asked, raising his arms hopefully. She gave him a sidelong look for a second, then grinned and hugged him tightly and said into his chest, "We're good."

"Good," He said, relieved, wrapped his arms around her "If you want to go to Hogsmeade with Longbottom, who am I to stop you?"

She pulled away from him, "Al, it's okay. You don't have to say that. You were right to argue with me about it. And I do want to go, but I don't know how I feel, and that's probably the wrong thing to do. I understood what you said; I just didn't like hearing it"

He nodded, "Sorry."

She scoffed, "Don't apologise because I can't handle the truth. It's okay."

"Oi," Said Scorp loudly, "Are you idiots talking to each other now?"

Grace gave him a withering look, "To think I spent a day without having to listen to your annoying voice Malfoy. It passed me by so quickly, I didn't savour it nearly enough as I should have"

Al and Rose laughed, "You're a gem, you know that Gracie?" He said, grinning widely

"It's been mentioned a few times,"

Rose shook her head, "Please never fight again. That was the most awkward 24 hours of my life."

"Of your life?!" Said Al, "What about me and Grace? It was awkward for us too, you know"

"It was your fault though; it's different!" She said, laughing, as Professor Slughorn opened the door to the classroom.

#

End, my starlets. Chapters four and five are already written, plus stuff that happens at Christmas. Much more to come :)

Read and Review! :) :)


	8. Part Two, Chapter Four

Hi guys :). Here's the next part. Thanks for the reviews. Stay cool, everyone. Read, review and enjoy.

#

May We Look Ever Forward

Part Two, Chapter Four

#

"Hello Albus," Puffed Slughorn, "How's your dad?"

"The same as ever, Professor." Replied Al with a polite smile fixed in place,

"And your mum? I liked your mum a lot, lovely girl! Lots of fire! A lot like your sister!"

Rose, Scorp and Grace were taking there places, sniggering loudly. Al bit back a grin, "Yeah, she's good, thanks. I'll send them your regards shall I?"

"Good boy," Said Slughorn fondly, "I'd like that."

"Suck up," Grace muttered out of the corner of her mouth as he sat down next to her

He grinned at her, "Shut up," he muttered back.

Not fighting with Grace made Al so ridiculously happy that even Slughorn's constant comments about his paternal grandparents didn't bother him as much as they usually would have.

"An old hand at potions, just like your father, and your grandmother!" He proclaimed, looking over Al's veritaserum.

"And not a bad effort by Miss Bellevue either I see. Not quite Al's standards though!" He said, winking at him and walking off. Grace's mouth flew open to, as if to tell Slughorn exactly where he could shove his wand, but then it seemed she thought better of it, and resigned to muttering curse words under her breath. Al covered his mouth to muffle his laughter. He met Scorpius' eye, and Scorp snorted.

"I hate that walrus man!" Grace proclaimed, as they walked to lunch, "Blatant favouritism!"

"Agreed," Said Rose coolly, "Clearly the Potter name counts for more than skill with him,"

Al refused to say a thing, but Scorpius laughed, moving between them, and throwing his arms around their shoulders "Ah, get over it girls. Rose, you can't be top of everything, and Grace, Al's the best at the potions, so don't worry about it. You're much better at… ahh… Divination?"

"I don't even take Divination, you twat!"

"Exactly," He said, and she whacked him with her book bag.

#

Grace and Rose sat together facing the boys, and they four friends chatted animatedly through lunch.

"So, Grace. Dennis Longbottom, huh?"

Al kicked Scorp under the table, causing him to hiss in pain

"Yeeep."

"Ah, a little snogging session in Madame Paddifoots then, hey?"

Rose and Al both kicked Scorp under the table, causing him to yelp, and Grace to stare at him, before grinning

"You're an insufferable prat, Malfoy," She said, though clearly amused

"I don't think he's much of a good kisser though Gracie. Everyone's always thought he was gay,"

"Well, I guess I'll just have to find out for myself, won't I?" She retorted

Al's stomach turned over in panic. Scorp snorted, "Give me the goss, wont you?"

"Sorry, I don't kiss and tell!"

"Scorpius, please, just, just shut up, would you?" Said Rose, her face in her hands, completely exasperated.

Grace shrugged, "Don't worry about him Rose. He's just jealous."

"Jealous?!" Said Scorp

Grace nodded, "Yep. You're jealous. When's the last time you had a date, Scorp? End of 5th year, was it?"

Scorp sniggered, "That doesn't mean a thing, let me assure you. I've been saving myself for someone."

Rose, Al and Grace exchanged amused looks. Grace smiled and said, "Well, tell us about this mystery lady then?"

Scorp smirked and said, "Well, she doesn't know it yet, but she's in love with me."

Grace laughed, "Right, and who is she?"

Scorp tapped his nose, "Mum's the word, Gracie."

Rose stared at him, a barely audible shake in her voice, "Do we know her?"

Scorp met her eyes, and then looked down, "Yeah, you do."

Al stared at him, "I didn't know about this!"

Scorp stared at him, "Why would you?? I didn't know anything about your little crush up until this morning."

_I am going to kill Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy as soon as I possibly can. Maybe I can put him in a trunk and ship him off to Africa,_ Al thought bitterly.

"What crush?" Asked Grace, "How is it that I don't know about this?!"

Scorp laughed, "You don't get included when we 'boy talk',"

Rose and Grace rolled their eyes. "Who's the girl, Al?" Asked Rose, "Go on, share with your favourite cousin."

"Who says you're my favourite cousin?" He said, unable to resist riling her up, "What if it's Hugo?"

Rose looked affronted, "You're my favourite cousin!"

Al laughed, "Rosie, I'm joking. You are my favourite cousin."

"Then who's the girl!?"

"Yes, who is it?!" Asked Grace, moving her hands to her lap, "Share!"

Al shrugged, "I'm not really sure, because Scorp is making this up. You'll have to ask him."

Scorp smirked and said, "It's Genevieve Bug, of course. What a babe," he added, almost as an afterthought, "I can't blame him,"

"I do not like Genevieve Bug!" Said Al, heatedly, "Yeah, sure, she's a knock-out, but she's just… she's…" He paused, as if not sure what to say to make it extremely clear that he had absolutely no interest in Genevieve Bug, "Have you ever actually spoken to Gen? She has the personality of a garden gnome. A vicious garden gnome!" They all roared with laughter, especially Grace who looked relieved.

"Yeah, but you can't argue with that body," Said Scorp

Grace was still smiling, calmer now somehow, "Somehow I think you can."

Rose sighed, "Her hair is so nice. I wish mine would sit like that."

"You have gorgeous hair! It's just like Mrs Potters and Lily's! It's all long and red and sleek." Scorp said,

Rose blushed heavily, "Oh. Thankyou Scorpius."

Grace roared with laughter, "Hark the pot calling the kettle black! You were the one teasing Denny, suggestion he was gay and now listen to you! You should take over the fashion and beauty section of the Witch Weekly! You girl!"

Scorp looked affronted, "I'm not being girly! I'm appreciating the finery that is the female form! Your hair is quite nice too Grace, but it doesn't float my boat. I'm more partial to red-heads myself," He winked at Rose and she took a rather large gulp of pumpkin juice

Al shook his head, "You're shameless Scorp."

"You know it, mate. You know it."

#

Rose and Grace were seated together in Transfiguration, and Grace desperately wanted to discuss the lunchtime conversation they had had with the boys. But it was literally impossible in McGonagall's classroom. Grace liked McGonagall. She was an excellent headmistress, and Grace really appreciated that she had decided to take the 6th and 7th year Transfiguration students even though she didn't teach anymore. Grace took out a fresh piece of parchment, and wrote on it,

_Well? What do you reckon? Do you think Al likes someone, or do you reckon Scorpius was just being Scorpius?_

She tapped the parchment discreetly with her wand, and appeared in front of Rose. Rose looked startled, read the paper, glanced at McGonagall, and then began to write. Grace pretended to keep taking notes until the paper arrived back to her.

**I'm not sure, to be honest. The look on Al's face when he mentioned it really gave him away. You know what he's like; he's the worst liar in the whole world.**

_Yeah, that's what I thought too. Who do you think she is? Do you reckon she's in our year?_

**Oh, Grace. I have no idea. Look, I know you think it'll ruin everything, but maybe you should just talk to him?**

_Are you kidding? Rose, he likes someone! If I spill my guts and then he tells me he's interested in someone else, I'll die. And then maybe come back as a ghost and haunt whoever the girl is for the rest of my life._

**Well, I maintain my argument. TALK TO HIM, YOU FOOL. What if you're the girl he likes?**

_Oh, please. Only in my frequent and vivid dreams._

**Too much info, Grace.**

_Oh, shut up._

**What do you reckon about this mystery girl of Scorp's, hey?**

_I'm sniggering, if you're not looking at me/can't hear it. I don't reckon she exists, I think he was just talking rubbish. He's certainly partial to your red-hair, at any rate._

_  
_**Oh I knew you were going to make a big deal out of that. He was just mucking around.**

_Sure, sure. Maybe he likes you and your lovely, sleek Weasley hair._

**Sleek?! Please. You've seen in when it gets all bushy, it's awful. It's only sleek if I keep it under tight restraints. Or maybe it's Lily that he's interested in.**

_Lily?! Oh, surely not! She's Al's little sister. James would probably kill him. I don't even know how Al would react. Even Hugo would be keen to tell him to keep away from Lily. It would be a disaster!_

**Well, at any rate, I hope it's not Lily.**

_Me too. It would cause so many problems._

The practical part of class began after that. They were learning to Transfigure inanimate objects into animals, a trick McGonagall had shown them once in relief lesson she had taken them for in their 4th year. Rose was now turning desk lamps into parrots, a fete which amazed Grace thoroughly, as she was barely managing turning a water bottle into a mouse. It comforted her that the rest of the class were having difficulties too though. After Transfiguration, the Gryffindors went down to the greenhouse for Herbology. Professor Longbottom gave Grace a particularly kind smile before he greeted Rose, Al and Scorp warmly. Her stomach gave a guilty flip-flop. That was a most unusual occurrence, as her presence in herbology had gone largely unnoticed for seven years. Was he hoping to make a daughter-in-law out of her or something now?! Herbology passed quite quickly, and they were back in the castle for dinner before Grace even knew it. Dinner though, was an uncomfortable experience, and as she lay in bed that night, she longed to block the awkward memory from her mind.

"Hey, Grace" Said Denny, "Do you mind if I sit here?" He indicated to the empty spot next to her.

She smiled to hide her discomfort, unsure as to how Al was going to react "Sure. How're you?"

He smiled in return, "I'm alright. Tired, though. I've just had the longest day."

She nodded, "I think it's actually just one of those weeks, actually."

"Alright there, Denny!" Said Scorp loudly, grinning at him

Grace gave him a look that could kill, but Denny smiled at Scorp, "Hey, Scorp. How's it going?"

"Not bad, hey."

"Hello Al," He said, his voiced straining to be polite "How are you?"

"Fine, thankyou." Al's voice was also strained

Grace couldn't understand this, and looked from one to the other. So, to avoiding making a comment, she piled her plate with dinner, and an awkward silence stretched between them.

"So," Said Scorp, thoroughly unperturbed, "Have a busy day then, did you?"

Denny shrugged, trying to look as if he weren't extremely pleased him himself, "Well, I had a small tussle with some Slytherins before,"

"What happened?!" Asked Grace, "Are you okay?!"

He shrugged again "It wasn't much. They broke my wand wrist, but Pomfrey fixed me right up."

Grace and Rose both gasped, "That's terrible!" Grace said, "You shouldn't have tried to take them on by yourself!"

Rose nodded, "You should've come and got me!"

Smirking, he said "Well, three on one's not bad odds for a Gryffindor!"

Grace chuckled, "I guess not. But don't try it again, okay?"

Scorp nudged Al with his foot under the table, and Scorp made a gagging motion with his knife, and Al snorted into his pumpkin juice.

"Why'd they attack you?" Al asked, wiping the pumpkin juice off his mouth to hide his smile

"No reason, really. They were on the 7th floor, huddled in a corner, and I was just walking by and heard them muttering. I told them to go to class, and that Goyle fellow got me with a jelly-leg jinx, and after that it was on. I might've gone to the hospital wing, but they followed right after me."

"Did you find out what they were up to?" Asked Scorp

He shook his head, "McGonagall and my dad are drilling them now, I think."

"Those Slytherins are up to something, mark my words" Said Scorp, waving his fork at Denny, "I'll bet they wrote Magic is Might,"

Denny nodded, "The teachers think the same thing,"

"They're not going to solve anything if they can't prove it though," Said Grace, spearing a potato, "And even if they can prove that those three wrote it, they'll just get detention or something equally trivial, and whoever else they're involved with will just keep going with it,"

Al groaned, "You're a plethora of joy and a barer of good news, Grace."

Grace smiled, "I try."

Dennis took her hand, "She's well cheerful, isn't she?"

There was an awkward, prolonged silence as they all stared at Denny's hand around Grace's. Grace looked up to meet Al's eyes, but he was staring determinedly at his dinner plate.

Dennis's eyes flickered to Al's face, then he blushed crimson and let go of Grace's hand. Grace put down her fork, and said quietly, "Well, I have a potions essay due. So I should go finish it. Night, guys."

She listened to the sound of her dorm mate's breathing, thinking about everything. It had been awkward; she handled it wrong. She should've laughed it all off, then shovelled down her dinner and waited for Scorp to say something stupid and take the spotlight off her. But she didn't. She had stared at Al like a stunned mullet and then had dashed off to hide in the back of the library. She saw Rose looking for her at one point, and proceeded to duck behind a stack of books until her friend went away. She didn't want to have to talk about it. Tomorrow, she was hoping to get up, and find the whole thing had been forgotten.


End file.
